Selected Headlines

Press Roundup provides a selected summary of news from the Iranian press, and excerpts where the source is in English. Click on the link to the story to read it in full. Tehran Bureau has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. Please refer to theMedia Guideto help put the stories in perspective. You can follow other news stories through our Twitter feed.

All Iranian media have been forbidden to publish any advertisements about pets or pet-related products.

The decision was made by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance after it requested a fatwa on the issue from Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi.

Based on his response, publishing any advertisement about keeping, buying, and selling pets is forbidden, AIDO Director Alireza Karimi said.

In his response to the istifta, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi emphasized that under shariah, dogs are indeed considered unclean. He said the uncleanliness of dogs is based upon riwayahs, reliable narrations handed down from the Prophet Muhammad (S) and his household (AS).

He described the current Iranian inclination toward dogs as "blindly imitating the West," something that he believes will result in "evil outcomes."

"Many people in the West love their dogs more than their wives and children," he stated.

After Masoumeh Ebtekar's blog on an Iranian blog hosting service was filtered pursuant to a "judicial order," the former environmental minister started a new blog on Blogspot.com on August 20. In her first post, referring to the recent ban on her previous blog, Ebtekar stressed that she would keep on writing to defend and honor the constitution and the right to freedom of speech.

Many lawmakers have signed letters listing questions from the ministers, MP Mousa al-Reza Servati told the Mehr News Agency.

He added that certain MPs are also seeking to impeach Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar.

Writers of the impeachment bid against Khalilian have cited excessive imports of agricultural products, incompetence, and a disregard for an insurance fund of agricultural crops as the major reasons to impeach the minister.

Morteza Mirbagheri, Deputy Chief of Iran's television broadcasts, said, "[Mohammad Reza] Shajarian, because of his anti-revolutionary and negative comments about his own people, is no longer qualified to be in people's hearts. He did this to himself."

However, Mirbagheri said that Mohammad Reza Shajarian could be forgiven if he amends his position toward the political system.

Supporters of Asia's Player of the Year in 2004, who spent two years with Bayern Munich and who is the second most-capped Iranian on record, were having none of it.

Nearly 40,000 fans have signed up to a Facebook support page. "Better to drink water than steal votes," wrote one user. At Steel Azin's last game fans held aloft pictures of Karimi and chanted his name.

Teammates have also spoken out. Mehrzad Madanchi has revealed that the entire Steel Azin team ate lunch that day. Mohammad Gholami, said: "I came to this club because of Karimi. We will do everything to reinstate him."